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The Complete Book of Pasta Sauces: The Best Italian Pestos, Marinaras, Ragùs, and Other Cooked and Fresh Sauces for Every Type of Pasta Imaginable
Turn pasta night from drab to exciting, tired to fresh, with 175 recipes for the best and yummiest pasta sauces imaginable.
Everybody loves pasta—but not if it’s made the same way night after night. Families with kids, especially, eat loads of pasta, but it’s awfully easy to get stuck in a “red-sauce rut,” eating one version or another of marinara sauce over and over again. Enter author Allan Bay, an expat who lives in Rome who has written some of Italy’s best-selling cookbooks. Bay opens up in these pages a big, bold new world of pasta sauces , some from the classic Italian repertoire , other brilliant new creations of his own. They have all sorts of main ingredients , from beef and chicken to shrimp and clams to glorious veggies from a rtichokes to z ucchini. All of the sauces are easy to prepare and every one cooks up fast .
The Complete Book of Pasta Sauces
There are bowls and bowls of kid-friendly sauces and plenty of grownup sauces, too . Each recipe comes with one to three “Best On” recommendations , along with additional “Also Good On” ideas that range from different shapes of standard wheat pasta to egg noodles, polenta, rice, and more . There are suggestions, too, for serving the various sauces directly on meats, poultry, or fish —something that is very common in Italy but less familiar elsewhere.
This deliciously creative book makes pasta and pasta sauces more exciting than they’ve ever been before.
Everybody loves pasta—but not if it’s made the same way night after night. Families with kids, especially, eat loads of pasta, but it’s awfully easy to get stuck in a “red-sauce rut,” eating one version or another of marinara sauce over and over again. Enter author Allan Bay, an expat who lives in Rome who has written some of Italy’s best-selling cookbooks. Bay opens up in these pages a big, bold new world of pasta sauces , some from the classic Italian repertoire , other brilliant new creations of his own. They have all sorts of main ingredients , from beef and chicken to shrimp and clams to glorious veggies from a rtichokes to z ucchini. All of the sauces are easy to prepare and every one cooks up fast .
The Complete Book of Pasta Sauces
There are bowls and bowls of kid-friendly sauces and plenty of grownup sauces, too . Each recipe comes with one to three “Best On” recommendations , along with additional “Also Good On” ideas that range from different shapes of standard wheat pasta to egg noodles, polenta, rice, and more . There are suggestions, too, for serving the various sauces directly on meats, poultry, or fish —something that is very common in Italy but less familiar elsewhere.
This deliciously creative book makes pasta and pasta sauces more exciting than they’ve ever been before.
256 pages, Paperback
Published October 18, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
November 16, 2022
3☆ A wide Variety
As much as I wanted to love this book it wasn't really for me.
If you follow my reviews on cook books then you will know that a book with no pictures is uninspiring to me.
I like to read the recipe then look at the picture of the finished product and feel my tummy rumble, as then I know I want to try that recipe out.
Unfortunately this book had no illustrations except the rare few of ingredients.
Also it lacked any description of what the pasta sauce was.
It just had the name of the recipe, the ingredients, what it's best on and what it goes with.
The method was pretty basic and definitely not for a novice cook.
Usually when you read a recipe it gives you at least a short description of what it might taste like for example a delicious spicy and smoky tomato sauce.
One thing I did like was that the ingredients was given in grams, cups ounces and ml. Which is partly why I gave an extra star. Having the ingredients in different weights makes it much easier for everyone.
Just another little mention that some ingredients you may need to look up if your in the UK to find an alternative ie Zucchini is Courgette, Cornstarch is Corn Flour, Heavy Cream is Double Cream.
There is a huge selection of different recipes which will appeal to lots of people. A few I recognised myself.
Overall this book has a lot of potential, I know some people don't mind if there are no illustrations, but when I'm reading a recipe book, and I don't necessarily know the ingredients. I'd like to at least see what the recipe should look like. This book however will definitely appeal to lots of cooks, foodies, or collectors or cooking books.
Thank you to Quarto Publishing for this copy which I reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
As much as I wanted to love this book it wasn't really for me.
If you follow my reviews on cook books then you will know that a book with no pictures is uninspiring to me.
I like to read the recipe then look at the picture of the finished product and feel my tummy rumble, as then I know I want to try that recipe out.
Unfortunately this book had no illustrations except the rare few of ingredients.
Also it lacked any description of what the pasta sauce was.
It just had the name of the recipe, the ingredients, what it's best on and what it goes with.
The method was pretty basic and definitely not for a novice cook.
Usually when you read a recipe it gives you at least a short description of what it might taste like for example a delicious spicy and smoky tomato sauce.
One thing I did like was that the ingredients was given in grams, cups ounces and ml. Which is partly why I gave an extra star. Having the ingredients in different weights makes it much easier for everyone.
Just another little mention that some ingredients you may need to look up if your in the UK to find an alternative ie Zucchini is Courgette, Cornstarch is Corn Flour, Heavy Cream is Double Cream.
There is a huge selection of different recipes which will appeal to lots of people. A few I recognised myself.
Overall this book has a lot of potential, I know some people don't mind if there are no illustrations, but when I'm reading a recipe book, and I don't necessarily know the ingredients. I'd like to at least see what the recipe should look like. This book however will definitely appeal to lots of cooks, foodies, or collectors or cooking books.
Thank you to Quarto Publishing for this copy which I reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
Want to Read
October 24, 2022This book is excellent. The receipts are so easy to make. I have had other pasta sauce books but this one is the tops.
(Thanks to Net Galley for this Book).
(Thanks to Net Galley for this Book).
January 5, 2023
More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/
This is an interesting book - definitely not what you would expect. The recipes are indeed for sauces only (not meals/dinners) - for pasta, vegetables, meats. The recipes are beautifully laid out and give recommendations on what the sauce is ideal for - whether a type of pasta or a meat dish. But it really is a guessing game since there is no description of the dish and how it is going to taste/inspiration/origins - nor are there really any photographs of the completed sauces (just photos of e.g., an asparagus or a fish filet). You have to go by the title, which is pretty useless in many cases. Sicilian pesto? Puttanesca sauce? Checca Mozzarella sauce? Ragu of Osso Buco? Carreteria sauce? Marengo sauce? Valdostana carbonade? Your guess is as good as mine how these should taste and if they are interesting enough to want to cook.The book is broken down by sauce type: vegetable sauces, pesto, tamato sauces, cheese and egg sauces, ragus, seafood sauces, meat sauces. and then at the end, oddly enough, are basic sauces (seasoned butter, cream sauce, garlic & chili, mornay, and smetana). The recipes are mostly named for their main ingredient but there are many 'regional' descriptive types of names as well. Each recipe takes a full page and has a very easily read large font size. There is a title, numbered steps, yield, ingredients, 'best on' and 'goes well with' recommendations. It is very nicely laid out and clean but I did puzzle at how the steps were broken down; sometimes oddly large paragraphs and sometimes one line paragraphs with questionable reasons to separate or conglomerate the steps as so.
The sauces are incredibly different than what I was expecting. Perhaps in America we are so used to a watery/runny tomato based sauce type with a lot of flavoring additions in which we float pasta or drown vegetables/meats. That is not what you get here. After having made several of the sauces, I was suprrised at how they are incredibly basic yet somehow always taste decently. They won't wow you but they taste fresh and authentic and less like an Americanized version of Italian cooking.
A good example are two recipes I ended up making this week: classic carbonara and spinach pancetta sauce. The ingredients for carbonara are simple: bacon, egg yolks parmigiana cheese and pepper. I think most people are used to a tomato base here but this 'sauce' just lightly sits on top of the pasta rather than coating or covering it. My family liked it once for something different but they felt it was a bit bland. The spinach pancetta also has no tomatoes - spinach, garlic, chili pepper, bacon, soffrito. So it is a greenish thick 'sauce' that you spoon clumps onto your pasta or meat rather than ladling. Again, very different and surprisingly bland but still fresh tasting. As with the previous meal, one of my family liked eating something different and less 'manufactured' while the other didn't like it at all.
A lot of the recipes call for an ingredient called soffrito - a pan friend mixture of celery, carrots and onions. It is very easy to whip up and the recipe is at the beginning of the book.
There are a LOT of recipes here and the sauces will likely be something different tasting than you would expect. It is the 'anti sauce' book to me - nothing is meant to be floating or smothered as with meals that most are used to these days. That said, the lack of descriptions of the sauce and with no pictures - it is REALLY hard to decide which recipe to try. I have to read the ingredients and try to figure out if my family would be interested in that this evening - of EVERY SINGLE RECIPE. There's nothing to guide me other than that the recipe contains vegetables or meats. Even the recommendations are pretty unhelpful since they almost always say the same thing: either/or good for pasta or meats. There are few spices or other 'flavorings' - you get the flavor from the main ingredient, be it vegetable, cheese, or meta.
I would have loved this different approach to pasta sauces had the book given more in the way of images and introductions. There are photographs - but of locations in Italy and of ingredients. Seems like a great waste of an otherwise interesting book. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.
October 13, 2022
Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.
The Complete Book of Pasta Sauces is a theme-specific collection of recipes for a wide variety of sauces written and developed by Allan Bay. Due out 18th Oct 2022 from Quarto on their Harvard Common Press imprint, it's 256 pages and will be available in paperback and ebook formats.
This is an unusual collection. The recipes included are _only_ for the sauces/wet components of the meals and not complete dishes. There are suggestions for each recipe such as accompaniments (best on ____, goes well with ____) but no complementary info, no menu information, no background, and not many alternative presentations.
Recipes are arranged thematically: vegetable sauces, pesto, tomato sauces, cheese & egg sauces, ragu, fish & seafood sauces, hearty meat sauces, and the basics. Ingredients are written with a title, very little introductory/background info, ingredients in a bullet list sidebar, and followed by *very* short cooking directions. Ingredient measurements are given in imperial (American) measurements, followed by metric in parentheses (yay!).
About 20% of the recipes are accompanied by one or more stock photos of relevant foodstuffs (nuts, fish, vegetables, etc). The recipes collected here are not accompanied by finished/serving photos of the dishes. The author has included a cross referenced index which includes recipes listed by main ingredient, which I found very helpful.
This would be a good choice for cookbook reference collectors, since it is a fairly comprehensive collection of sauces. It would be a less optimal choice for beginning cooks, as there are no photos and prep/full meal instructions are scanty at best. That being said, this is a solid kitchen reference and cooks who love to experiment with presentations and menus will find a lot to love here.
Three and a half stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
The Complete Book of Pasta Sauces is a theme-specific collection of recipes for a wide variety of sauces written and developed by Allan Bay. Due out 18th Oct 2022 from Quarto on their Harvard Common Press imprint, it's 256 pages and will be available in paperback and ebook formats.
This is an unusual collection. The recipes included are _only_ for the sauces/wet components of the meals and not complete dishes. There are suggestions for each recipe such as accompaniments (best on ____, goes well with ____) but no complementary info, no menu information, no background, and not many alternative presentations.
Recipes are arranged thematically: vegetable sauces, pesto, tomato sauces, cheese & egg sauces, ragu, fish & seafood sauces, hearty meat sauces, and the basics. Ingredients are written with a title, very little introductory/background info, ingredients in a bullet list sidebar, and followed by *very* short cooking directions. Ingredient measurements are given in imperial (American) measurements, followed by metric in parentheses (yay!).
About 20% of the recipes are accompanied by one or more stock photos of relevant foodstuffs (nuts, fish, vegetables, etc). The recipes collected here are not accompanied by finished/serving photos of the dishes. The author has included a cross referenced index which includes recipes listed by main ingredient, which I found very helpful.
This would be a good choice for cookbook reference collectors, since it is a fairly comprehensive collection of sauces. It would be a less optimal choice for beginning cooks, as there are no photos and prep/full meal instructions are scanty at best. That being said, this is a solid kitchen reference and cooks who love to experiment with presentations and menus will find a lot to love here.
Three and a half stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
November 20, 2022
Loved this book as I learned about some new pasta sauces and I love Allan Bay style of writing.
Easy to follow, great recipes.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine
Easy to follow, great recipes.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine
November 4, 2022
Allan Bay has a different approach to pasta sauce. He is someone who catalogs things, so when he started to think through the complexity of pasta and sauces, he did it with the mindset of a cataloger. He started with the most basic question—what is a sauce? And from there he developed his ideas of sauce and his recipes. His ideas are a little unconventional, but he brings almost 200 sauces to the table, all with suggested uses for the best pastas to use with them.
Bay starts by answering his own question, of what is a sauce. It’s a preparation that serves to enhance a base. It elevates a dish. And he has divided his sauces into three categories. According to Bay, a ragu is a partially creamy sauce made with ingredients cut into pieces. A sauce is a blended condiment. And a pesto is ingredients that are pounded and blended. With that in mind, he moves on to the techniques he uses to make the sauces and to marry the sauce with the pasta.
And then there are the recipes. Bay starts with Healthy and Vibrant Vegetable Series, like an Asparagus and Pine Nut Sauce, Burgundy Sauce, Chestnut Sauce, Zucchini Blossom Sauce, Rosemary Potato Sauce, Pea and Ricotta Sauce, Eggplant Caponata, and Pumpkin Pancetta Sauce. Each of these recipes are scalable, so you can make extra freeze or you can make less if you’re eating alone. They also all come with what it goes best on and what goes well with it, whether it’s a pasta, rice, potato, bruschetta, beans, meat, seafood, or eggs.
There are Pesto recipes, like Cream Pesto, Broccoli Pesto, Sicilian Pesto, or Classic Pesto. There are Tomato Sauces, like the Tuscan Red Tomato Sauce, Puttanesca Sauce, Byzantium Sauce, Caprese Sauce, and Spicy Tomato Sauce. There are Cheese Sauces and Egg Sauces, like Spicy Six-Cheese Sauce, Brie and Pepper Sauce, Gorgonzola and Walnut Sauce, Tomato Omelet Sauce, and Hard-Boiled Egg Sauce.
All Kinds of Ragu has 40 different types of ragu, from a Ragu of Baked Onions, Salmon Ragu, Lobster Ragu, Turkey Ragu with Yellow Peppers, Braised Beef Ragu with Red Wine, Ragu of Osso Busco, and Red Lamb Ragu. Fresh from the Sea Fish and Seafood Sauces includes a Delicate Shrimp Sauce, Squid Sauce, Clam Sauce, Caviar Sauce, Seafood Carbonara, and Sardine and Tomato Sauce.
Last, there is a chapter of Hearty Meat Sauces, like Amatriciana Sauce, Pancetta and Spinach Sauce, Sausage and Tomato Sauce, Cream Sauce with Peas and Ham, Pork Rib Sauce, Spicy Beef Sauce, and Chicken Meatballs in Tomato Sauce.
The Complete Book of Pasta Sauces is packed with a wide variety of sauces for every taste. There are many beautiful photos of Italy and of the ingredients. But I was missing photos of the sauces, of the dishes that could be made with the sauces. And for anyone not too familiar with the flavors, there aren’t really any descriptions of how the sauces will taste. You just have to make them and find out. I do admire Allan Bay for his creativity in inventing and cataloging all these sauces. I just wish that there was a little more heart and a little more soul in this cookbook, to add some balance.
Egalleys for The Complete Book of Pasta Sauces were provided by Harvard Common Press (Quarto Group) through Edelweiss, with many thanks.
Bay starts by answering his own question, of what is a sauce. It’s a preparation that serves to enhance a base. It elevates a dish. And he has divided his sauces into three categories. According to Bay, a ragu is a partially creamy sauce made with ingredients cut into pieces. A sauce is a blended condiment. And a pesto is ingredients that are pounded and blended. With that in mind, he moves on to the techniques he uses to make the sauces and to marry the sauce with the pasta.
And then there are the recipes. Bay starts with Healthy and Vibrant Vegetable Series, like an Asparagus and Pine Nut Sauce, Burgundy Sauce, Chestnut Sauce, Zucchini Blossom Sauce, Rosemary Potato Sauce, Pea and Ricotta Sauce, Eggplant Caponata, and Pumpkin Pancetta Sauce. Each of these recipes are scalable, so you can make extra freeze or you can make less if you’re eating alone. They also all come with what it goes best on and what goes well with it, whether it’s a pasta, rice, potato, bruschetta, beans, meat, seafood, or eggs.
There are Pesto recipes, like Cream Pesto, Broccoli Pesto, Sicilian Pesto, or Classic Pesto. There are Tomato Sauces, like the Tuscan Red Tomato Sauce, Puttanesca Sauce, Byzantium Sauce, Caprese Sauce, and Spicy Tomato Sauce. There are Cheese Sauces and Egg Sauces, like Spicy Six-Cheese Sauce, Brie and Pepper Sauce, Gorgonzola and Walnut Sauce, Tomato Omelet Sauce, and Hard-Boiled Egg Sauce.
All Kinds of Ragu has 40 different types of ragu, from a Ragu of Baked Onions, Salmon Ragu, Lobster Ragu, Turkey Ragu with Yellow Peppers, Braised Beef Ragu with Red Wine, Ragu of Osso Busco, and Red Lamb Ragu. Fresh from the Sea Fish and Seafood Sauces includes a Delicate Shrimp Sauce, Squid Sauce, Clam Sauce, Caviar Sauce, Seafood Carbonara, and Sardine and Tomato Sauce.
Last, there is a chapter of Hearty Meat Sauces, like Amatriciana Sauce, Pancetta and Spinach Sauce, Sausage and Tomato Sauce, Cream Sauce with Peas and Ham, Pork Rib Sauce, Spicy Beef Sauce, and Chicken Meatballs in Tomato Sauce.
The Complete Book of Pasta Sauces is packed with a wide variety of sauces for every taste. There are many beautiful photos of Italy and of the ingredients. But I was missing photos of the sauces, of the dishes that could be made with the sauces. And for anyone not too familiar with the flavors, there aren’t really any descriptions of how the sauces will taste. You just have to make them and find out. I do admire Allan Bay for his creativity in inventing and cataloging all these sauces. I just wish that there was a little more heart and a little more soul in this cookbook, to add some balance.
Egalleys for The Complete Book of Pasta Sauces were provided by Harvard Common Press (Quarto Group) through Edelweiss, with many thanks.
November 14, 2022
I have a perpetual quest to find recipes that will be the magic combination of very easy to prepare, yet suitable for dinner guests. I love pasta, but it’s usually an everyday dinner, like buttered with salt, pepper and shrimp; or with bottled marinara sauce. The Complete Book of Pasta Sauces is like the master key to pasta sauces! I was interested to see that it was published in Italy in 2016, and now translated. Italian author Allan Bay writes, “I have always been a serial sauceophile: I can’t conceive of a preparation that isn’t topped with an appropriate sauce.”
The sauces are divided by type, such as vegetable sauces, pesto, meat sauces, and more. With each sauce he suggests an accompanying base. Most dress various types of pasta, but he also discusses using the sauces to top veggies, rice, and various proteins. I thought that was really neat, and super useful. In the introduction on techniques, he gives instructions on how to dress cooked pasta and other bases with the various types of sauces.
I chose to make two sauces from the “Healthy and Vibrant Vegetable Sauces” chapter.
All-Purpose Lentil Sauce: A utilitarian name, and I was dubious. Mixing cooked brown lentils, yoghurt and some Italian spices seemed basic, and the sauce was a slightly unappealing brown. But I followed the recipe to the letter, and tossed it with al dente linguine. It was really good! My husband and I both enjoyed it and agreed that the sauce was greater than the sum of its parts. I think the tang of the yoghurt complimented the slightly spicy blended lentils. It was a workhorse of a sauce. It kept well in the fridge, and I repurposed it by topping a bowl of rice and steamed veg one evening; and blending it with balsamic vinegar for a wonderful dressing for my lunchtime salad all week.
Pea and Ricotta Sauce: I found the magic recipe combination! This is a recipe that is both very easy, and suitable for company. I blended peas and ricotta with some olive oil, then added toasted walnuts and garlic and tossed it all with hot cooked penne pasta. Add a good amount of salt and pepper and…yum! I had my self-proclaimed picky sister over to eat with us and she raved about it. I had some leftover ricotta and pea sauce and it was thick enough to top crackers and a bagel for lunch the next day.
I liked this saucy cookbook, and had trouble picking just two recipes to make. The only downside is that I’ve loved to see pictures of the completed sauces, but it’s a small point. There is gorgeous photography in the book, but none of the recipes themselves. I think this would be a great addition to my cookbook collection and look forward to exploring it more.
Thanks to Netgalley and Quarto Publishing Group for a digital ARC in exchange for my unbiased review.
The sauces are divided by type, such as vegetable sauces, pesto, meat sauces, and more. With each sauce he suggests an accompanying base. Most dress various types of pasta, but he also discusses using the sauces to top veggies, rice, and various proteins. I thought that was really neat, and super useful. In the introduction on techniques, he gives instructions on how to dress cooked pasta and other bases with the various types of sauces.
I chose to make two sauces from the “Healthy and Vibrant Vegetable Sauces” chapter.
All-Purpose Lentil Sauce: A utilitarian name, and I was dubious. Mixing cooked brown lentils, yoghurt and some Italian spices seemed basic, and the sauce was a slightly unappealing brown. But I followed the recipe to the letter, and tossed it with al dente linguine. It was really good! My husband and I both enjoyed it and agreed that the sauce was greater than the sum of its parts. I think the tang of the yoghurt complimented the slightly spicy blended lentils. It was a workhorse of a sauce. It kept well in the fridge, and I repurposed it by topping a bowl of rice and steamed veg one evening; and blending it with balsamic vinegar for a wonderful dressing for my lunchtime salad all week.
Pea and Ricotta Sauce: I found the magic recipe combination! This is a recipe that is both very easy, and suitable for company. I blended peas and ricotta with some olive oil, then added toasted walnuts and garlic and tossed it all with hot cooked penne pasta. Add a good amount of salt and pepper and…yum! I had my self-proclaimed picky sister over to eat with us and she raved about it. I had some leftover ricotta and pea sauce and it was thick enough to top crackers and a bagel for lunch the next day.
I liked this saucy cookbook, and had trouble picking just two recipes to make. The only downside is that I’ve loved to see pictures of the completed sauces, but it’s a small point. There is gorgeous photography in the book, but none of the recipes themselves. I think this would be a great addition to my cookbook collection and look forward to exploring it more.
Thanks to Netgalley and Quarto Publishing Group for a digital ARC in exchange for my unbiased review.
November 17, 2022
Turn pasta night from drab to exciting, tired to fresh, with 175 recipes for the best and yummiest pasta sauces imaginable.
Everybody loves pasta but not if it’s made the same way night after night. Families with kids, especially, eat loads of pasta, but it’s awfully easy to get stuck in a “red-sauce rut,” eating one version or another of marinara sauce over and over again. Enter author Allan Bay, an expat who lives in Rome who has written some of Italy’s best-selling cookbooks. Bay opens up in these pages a big, bold new world of pasta sauces, some from the classic Italian repertoire, other brilliant new creations of his own. They have all sorts of main ingredients, from beef and chicken to shrimp and clams to glorious veggies from artichokes to zucchini. All of the sauces are easy to prepare and every one cooks up fast.
The Complete Book of Pasta Sauces includes:
* Asparagus and Pine Nut Sauce
* Meatball Ragout
* Cioppino
* Pesto Sauce, plus six different pesto variations
* Chicken Ragout
* Nantua Sauce with Shrimp
* Lamb Ragout with Porcinis
* Roman Cauliflower Sauce
There are bowls and bowls of kid-friendly sauces and plenty of grownup sauces, too. Each recipe comes with one to three “Best On” recommendations, along with additional “Also Good On” ideas that range from different shapes of standard wheat pasta to egg noodles, polenta, rice, and more. There are suggestions, too, for serving the various sauces directly on meats, poultry, or fish something that is very common in Italy but less familiar elsewhere.
This deliciously creative book makes pasta and pasta sauces more exciting than they’ve ever been before.
Totally recommend I love pasta and I get so bored with the same things so this book totally gave me so many yummy recipes
Thank you NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group - Harvard Common Press
I just reviewed The Complete Book of Pasta Sauces by Allan Bay. #TheCompleteBookofPastaSauces #NetGalley
Everybody loves pasta but not if it’s made the same way night after night. Families with kids, especially, eat loads of pasta, but it’s awfully easy to get stuck in a “red-sauce rut,” eating one version or another of marinara sauce over and over again. Enter author Allan Bay, an expat who lives in Rome who has written some of Italy’s best-selling cookbooks. Bay opens up in these pages a big, bold new world of pasta sauces, some from the classic Italian repertoire, other brilliant new creations of his own. They have all sorts of main ingredients, from beef and chicken to shrimp and clams to glorious veggies from artichokes to zucchini. All of the sauces are easy to prepare and every one cooks up fast.
The Complete Book of Pasta Sauces includes:
* Asparagus and Pine Nut Sauce
* Meatball Ragout
* Cioppino
* Pesto Sauce, plus six different pesto variations
* Chicken Ragout
* Nantua Sauce with Shrimp
* Lamb Ragout with Porcinis
* Roman Cauliflower Sauce
There are bowls and bowls of kid-friendly sauces and plenty of grownup sauces, too. Each recipe comes with one to three “Best On” recommendations, along with additional “Also Good On” ideas that range from different shapes of standard wheat pasta to egg noodles, polenta, rice, and more. There are suggestions, too, for serving the various sauces directly on meats, poultry, or fish something that is very common in Italy but less familiar elsewhere.
This deliciously creative book makes pasta and pasta sauces more exciting than they’ve ever been before.
Totally recommend I love pasta and I get so bored with the same things so this book totally gave me so many yummy recipes
Thank you NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group - Harvard Common Press
I just reviewed The Complete Book of Pasta Sauces by Allan Bay. #TheCompleteBookofPastaSauces #NetGalley
November 17, 2022
Turn pasta night from drab to exciting, tired to fresh, with 175 recipes for the best and yummiest pasta sauces imaginable.
Enter author Allan Bay, an expat who lives in Rome who has written some of Italy’s best-selling cookbooks. Bay opens up in these pages a big, bold new world of pasta sauces, some from the classic Italian repertoire, other brilliant new creations of his own. They have all sorts of main ingredients, from beef and chicken to shrimp and clams to glorious veggies from artichokes to zucchini. All of the sauces are easy to prepare and every one cooks up fast.
The Complete Book of Pasta Sauces includes:
Asparagus and Pine Nut Sauce
Meatball Ragout
Cioppino
Pesto Sauce, plus six different pesto variations
Chicken Ragout
Nantua Sauce with Shrimp
Lamb Ragout with Porcinis
Roman Cauliflower Sauce
There are bowls and bowls of kid-friendly sauces and plenty of grownup sauces, too. Each recipe comes with one to three “Best On” recommendations, along with additional “Also Good On” ideas that range from different shapes of standard wheat pasta to egg noodles, polenta, rice, and more. There are suggestions, too, for serving the various sauces directly on meats, poultry, or fish—something that is very common in Italy but less familiar elsewhere.
This deliciously creative book makes pasta and pasta sauces more exciting than they’ve ever been before. Perfect for the winter nights to come and would make a great Christmas gift for pasta lovers!
My thanks to the author and Quarto Publishing Group for my advance copy to review via NetGalley. Due out 18th November 2022!
Enter author Allan Bay, an expat who lives in Rome who has written some of Italy’s best-selling cookbooks. Bay opens up in these pages a big, bold new world of pasta sauces, some from the classic Italian repertoire, other brilliant new creations of his own. They have all sorts of main ingredients, from beef and chicken to shrimp and clams to glorious veggies from artichokes to zucchini. All of the sauces are easy to prepare and every one cooks up fast.
The Complete Book of Pasta Sauces includes:
Asparagus and Pine Nut Sauce
Meatball Ragout
Cioppino
Pesto Sauce, plus six different pesto variations
Chicken Ragout
Nantua Sauce with Shrimp
Lamb Ragout with Porcinis
Roman Cauliflower Sauce
There are bowls and bowls of kid-friendly sauces and plenty of grownup sauces, too. Each recipe comes with one to three “Best On” recommendations, along with additional “Also Good On” ideas that range from different shapes of standard wheat pasta to egg noodles, polenta, rice, and more. There are suggestions, too, for serving the various sauces directly on meats, poultry, or fish—something that is very common in Italy but less familiar elsewhere.
This deliciously creative book makes pasta and pasta sauces more exciting than they’ve ever been before. Perfect for the winter nights to come and would make a great Christmas gift for pasta lovers!
My thanks to the author and Quarto Publishing Group for my advance copy to review via NetGalley. Due out 18th November 2022!
November 9, 2022
The Complete Book of Pasta Sauces: The Best Italian Pestos, Marinaras, Ragùs, and Other Cooked and Fresh Sauces for Every Type of Pasta Imaginable is a cookbook that belongs on every cookbook shelf. It has dozens of sauces that can be used on all kinds of pasta, as well as other things like crostini, gnocchi, potatoes, meats, poultry, and fish. In fact, every recipe has suggestions as to what to use the sauce on, i.e., types of pasta, crostini, cooked meat and fish, etc., as well as what the dish goes well with. These are helpful suggestions and will give readers great ideas for full meals that aren’t boring. Not only does this book cover pasta sauces, but it features recipes for basic sauces that are used in all sorts of dishes that aren’t pasta.
The recipes are written in the traditional manner with step-by-step instructions that are easy to follow. These recipes are straightforward and suitable for both beginning and advances cooks.
Unfortunately, most of the photographs, which are actually beautiful, are of the ingredients in the sauces rather than finished dishes. This is the only negative aspect of the cookbook and isn’t really a game changer, since the sauces are diverse and tempting.
All told, this is an excellent cookbook and will give readers a good variety of sauces to serve for months.
Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.
The recipes are written in the traditional manner with step-by-step instructions that are easy to follow. These recipes are straightforward and suitable for both beginning and advances cooks.
Unfortunately, most of the photographs, which are actually beautiful, are of the ingredients in the sauces rather than finished dishes. This is the only negative aspect of the cookbook and isn’t really a game changer, since the sauces are diverse and tempting.
All told, this is an excellent cookbook and will give readers a good variety of sauces to serve for months.
Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.
November 9, 2022
I'll admit that I'd fallen in a pasta rut, consisting of two dishes - mac and cheese, and basic spaghetti with tomato-meat sauce. If I wasn't in the mood for either of those, I wasn't considering any other options. I now feel like I am aware of many more options, some of them surprising - I would never have thought of making a potato sauce for pasta!
But as marvelous and varied as all these recipes seem, I have to be honest. Even after reading the entire cookbook, I still have no idea what a potato sauce should look like. Or an asparagus and pine nut sauce. Or any of the other sauces described in this cookbook. This is because every single picture is a stock, generic photograph. They are beautiful but only have a passing acquaintance with the recipes they are paired with.
We learn to cook with our eyes, not just our hands. This cookbook held such promise, but ultimately left me feeling blind.
My thanks to author Allan Bay, Quarto Publishing Group, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a digital advance review copy of this book. This review is my honest and unbiased opinion.
But as marvelous and varied as all these recipes seem, I have to be honest. Even after reading the entire cookbook, I still have no idea what a potato sauce should look like. Or an asparagus and pine nut sauce. Or any of the other sauces described in this cookbook. This is because every single picture is a stock, generic photograph. They are beautiful but only have a passing acquaintance with the recipes they are paired with.
We learn to cook with our eyes, not just our hands. This cookbook held such promise, but ultimately left me feeling blind.
My thanks to author Allan Bay, Quarto Publishing Group, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a digital advance review copy of this book. This review is my honest and unbiased opinion.
October 23, 2022
The Complete Book of Pasta Sauces - The Best Italian Pestos, Marinaras, Ragùs, and Other Cooked and Fresh Sauces for Every Type of Pasta Imaginable by Allan Bay offers an amazing array of sauces, especially ones suitable for the vegetarian. Most helpful was the Introduction where the author “define(s)“ragu” a partially creamy sauce made with ingredients cut into pieces; a “sauce” as a blended condiment, and a “pesto” when the ingredients have been pounded and blended.”, and also the Reader’s Guide with an explanation of Soffrito and descriptions of pasta and rice varieties.
I found this book to be more of a manual than cookbook. By this I mean that there were no descriptions or photos of the prepared dish. The ingredients and instructions were there, I was just unsure of the outcome. Was the sauce thick, thin, chunky or otherwise? How would I know whether my outcome was correct? (I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy and all opinions are my own.) This book offers a great compendium of sauces and is more suited to the experienced cook rather than a novice.
I found this book to be more of a manual than cookbook. By this I mean that there were no descriptions or photos of the prepared dish. The ingredients and instructions were there, I was just unsure of the outcome. Was the sauce thick, thin, chunky or otherwise? How would I know whether my outcome was correct? (I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy and all opinions are my own.) This book offers a great compendium of sauces and is more suited to the experienced cook rather than a novice.
February 11, 2023
This is a cookery book of almost 200 pasta sauce recipes.
There are 8 chapters in this cookery book plus an introduction and glossary:
- Vegetable Sauces (48)
- Pesto (8)
- Tomato Sauces (11)
- Cheese & Egg Sauces (14)
- Ragus (40)
- Fish & Seafood Sauces (33)
- Meat Sauces (20)
- The Basics (5)
The recipes have both imperial and metric measurements, the number of servings, steps to follow, and what it goes best on and well with.
Though there colour photographs throughout the book, it consists of places and ingredients rather than any of the finished dishes.
I almost felt disappointed when it came to which pasta to choose as many of the recipes just said any. I had high hopes that it would have been a little more specific as I always thought it was important to pair the pasta correctly with the sauce.
Overall it's a nice book, but one that lacks in a couple of places I think.
NOTE: This book was originally published in 2016 under an Italian title.
I received this book from Netgalley in return for an honest review.
There are 8 chapters in this cookery book plus an introduction and glossary:
- Vegetable Sauces (48)
- Pesto (8)
- Tomato Sauces (11)
- Cheese & Egg Sauces (14)
- Ragus (40)
- Fish & Seafood Sauces (33)
- Meat Sauces (20)
- The Basics (5)
The recipes have both imperial and metric measurements, the number of servings, steps to follow, and what it goes best on and well with.
Though there colour photographs throughout the book, it consists of places and ingredients rather than any of the finished dishes.
I almost felt disappointed when it came to which pasta to choose as many of the recipes just said any. I had high hopes that it would have been a little more specific as I always thought it was important to pair the pasta correctly with the sauce.
Overall it's a nice book, but one that lacks in a couple of places I think.
NOTE: This book was originally published in 2016 under an Italian title.
I received this book from Netgalley in return for an honest review.
October 17, 2022
This book is a gorgeous compilation of great sounding sauces. For the non-Italian cook, like myself, it offers a multitude of pasta sauces that I'd never even dreamed of. The recipes use scratch ingredients, so the cook knows exactly what's going into the sauce. The book does not include instruction on how to make the entire meal - only the sauces. But that's what the book is all about that's the title of the book.
Some things that I particularly like about this book are:
-The first few pages contain explanations of what ingredients are, such as a soffrito, or a grana
-The recipes are simple, each on only one page. Some will take minutes to prepare, others will take hours
- With each recipe, you'll find a list of things that the sauce is "Best On" and some that "Goes Well On"
I was provided with an advance reader copy of this book. This is my honest review.
Some things that I particularly like about this book are:
-The first few pages contain explanations of what ingredients are, such as a soffrito, or a grana
-The recipes are simple, each on only one page. Some will take minutes to prepare, others will take hours
- With each recipe, you'll find a list of things that the sauce is "Best On" and some that "Goes Well On"
I was provided with an advance reader copy of this book. This is my honest review.
December 8, 2022
Fabulous presented book encompassing many pasta sauces, sauces that are not well known and others that are longtime favorites. Starting with Healthy and Vibrant Vegetable sauces, including my father"s favorite Asparagus and Almond sauce. Next is a group of recipes to make various pesto and the next chapter is about tomato sauces. My favorites follow with egg and cheese sauces, and this is followed with the time honored ragu sauces. Lastly there are two chapters, one each on seafood sauces and hearty meat sauces.
Each recipe are easy and have suggestions of " goes well on " and "best on". The book ends with three very basic sauces, plan, tasty and done well, the best there is.
The book is well photographed, easy to access ingredients and simple to make. A very good book on sauces.
Thanks you NetGalley and the publishers for the DRC
Each recipe are easy and have suggestions of " goes well on " and "best on". The book ends with three very basic sauces, plan, tasty and done well, the best there is.
The book is well photographed, easy to access ingredients and simple to make. A very good book on sauces.
Thanks you NetGalley and the publishers for the DRC
October 28, 2022
The Complete Book of Pasta Sauces by Allan Bay is a literal huge book of pasta sauces.
Some familiar and some that you've never heard of. I really liked that Allan's instructions were all for scratch and having to make them yourself. I also really like that Allan includes 'Best On' and 'Goes Well With' with each sauce, so you can get an idea of how to use said sauce.
I'm not a huge fan of cookbooks that do NOT include photos of finished products. I'm sure it would be quite the task to take pictures of A LOT of sauces, but it would help some people see how it should be finished. Or even give them a visual for how to use the sauce with a dish.
Some familiar and some that you've never heard of. I really liked that Allan's instructions were all for scratch and having to make them yourself. I also really like that Allan includes 'Best On' and 'Goes Well With' with each sauce, so you can get an idea of how to use said sauce.
I'm not a huge fan of cookbooks that do NOT include photos of finished products. I'm sure it would be quite the task to take pictures of A LOT of sauces, but it would help some people see how it should be finished. Or even give them a visual for how to use the sauce with a dish.
November 1, 2022
Thank you NetGalley for this ARC !
I absolutely loved reading and looking at the recipes. There is such a big variety of choice and options with each sauce. I like that the book categorise each kind of sauce eg : vegetables, meaty, with fish, cheese,… it gives me a an impression of a neat book. I really would like to try a lot of these recipe in a near future, that made me quite hungry.
The only “bad” thing will be the quality of the pictures on iPad reading; it look kind of blurry. But I really didn’t care that much as what I was really looking for was the sauce recipe and the choice of them. I would recommend this book, and it is already on my wish list for Christmas :D.
I absolutely loved reading and looking at the recipes. There is such a big variety of choice and options with each sauce. I like that the book categorise each kind of sauce eg : vegetables, meaty, with fish, cheese,… it gives me a an impression of a neat book. I really would like to try a lot of these recipe in a near future, that made me quite hungry.
The only “bad” thing will be the quality of the pictures on iPad reading; it look kind of blurry. But I really didn’t care that much as what I was really looking for was the sauce recipe and the choice of them. I would recommend this book, and it is already on my wish list for Christmas :D.
November 5, 2022
A while back I wanted to get an encyclopedia of classic Italian dishes, ones collected from regions and grandmas, the recipies without authors, the ones taught in the home kitchens. This book kind of has that feel. It's authentic, it's thorough about all kinds of pasta sauces you wouldn't suspect and you have never tried... but it's not exactly attractive or fresh, or modern. The recipes sound good mainly, even though the first part with all its blanded vegetables seems a little strange, but I would have really liked photos to have a better idea, or some kind of comment from the author about the taste quality of the recipies.
Interesting, but not quite for me.
Interesting, but not quite for me.
November 17, 2022
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review "The Complete Book of Pasta Sauces." When they say complete book of pasta sauce they mean it! The sheer amount and variety of sauces is amazing from Pestos to Meat sauces. The only down side I found from this cookbook was the lack of pictures of the actual recipes, there were images of the main ingredients but not the actual sauce. There were a lot of images of Italian streets and scenery. It did have a good introduction with information about pastas starches to pair with types of sauces. This would be a great gift to a new home owner or your friends who loves pasta
November 23, 2022
Thank you Quarto Publishing Group and NetGalley for e-ARC of the book.
The Complete Book of Pasta Sauces is a wonderful selection of sauces for every occasion and meal. The Readers Guide is full of useful information on where to use these sauces, how to boil different type of pastas and so much more. Some recipes are only 2 steps long, and others may have only 3-4 ingredients. This book is full of recipes for every taste and level of culinary skill. This guide would make a great gift for both a beginner cook and adventurous more seasoned one.
The Complete Book of Pasta Sauces is a wonderful selection of sauces for every occasion and meal. The Readers Guide is full of useful information on where to use these sauces, how to boil different type of pastas and so much more. Some recipes are only 2 steps long, and others may have only 3-4 ingredients. This book is full of recipes for every taste and level of culinary skill. This guide would make a great gift for both a beginner cook and adventurous more seasoned one.
October 17, 2022
Very comprehensive book of pasta sauces. Most of the recipes have a handful of ingredients, and what the sauce would go best on, and go well with as well. Nicely laid out, with lovely pictures accompanying the recipes.
I see myself adding this to my list of recipe books! Thank you Netgalley and Quarto Publishing Group for the ARC!
I see myself adding this to my list of recipe books! Thank you Netgalley and Quarto Publishing Group for the ARC!
October 31, 2022
An A-Z of pasta sauces, from classics to more unusual ones. Great layout, easy to follow recipes and I like that each sauce has recommendations for what goes best with it. The photography is ingredient focused so not that inspirational, but this is a great book to have in your collection.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read The Complete Book of Pasta Sauces
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read The Complete Book of Pasta Sauces
October 16, 2022
I am sure the cooks out there looking for unique pestos and different ideas for pasta will love this book but for me it wasn’t my cooking style . I grew up always searching for that authentic Italian gravy … the perfect red sauce . This wasn’t it, but I will keep searching.
October 18, 2022
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
A super update on pasta sauces, old and new, classic favorites and this author's new creations. Well worth looking at if you and your family enjoy pasta in all its forms.
A super update on pasta sauces, old and new, classic favorites and this author's new creations. Well worth looking at if you and your family enjoy pasta in all its forms.
October 28, 2022
This was a fabulous book of sauces for Pasta.The layout and the beautiful pictures had me wanting to rush and make them myself and I will be trying most of the sauces. This would make a great gift for a foodie.
October 31, 2022
Brilliant book for pasta lovers plenty of recipes that are easy to follow so no getting bored with just tomato and carbonara sauce. Plenty of wonderful photos to whet your appetite.
I received this book from Quatro publishing group and Netgalley for a review.
I received this book from Quatro publishing group and Netgalley for a review.
October 25, 2022
Instering recipes. Good cook book. Plan to try some of them out and kinda add my own twist to what ever one I use. 5 star book.
November 27, 2022
The complete book of pasta sauce is a great book filled with interesting recipes. I truly enjoyed reading it and many of the recipes look delicious.
November 29, 2022
This is a beautiful cookbook. The author does a great job defining terms, the pictures are beautiful, and the recipes are not the same old thing.
December 7, 2022
Wow I thought I knew a lot about sauces but this book showed me I was wrong! There’s a lot I won’t use but even that there are a TON of amazing options. Very cool
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